Means for electrically connecting railway-rails.



No. 697,534. Paten ted Apr. l5, I902. w. "a. PIMLOTT; own.

' I. A. PIIILOTT, Administratrix.

a nuns ron ELECTRICALLY consume RAILWAY nms.

(Application fllad A rjav, 1901. (IN Ilodal.)

KM; IJ II'IESS E5- the principles of my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I/VILLIAM E. PIMLOTT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; MARY A. PIMLOTT, ADMINIS- TRATRIX OF SAID WILLIAM E. PIMLOTT, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO J. M. ATKINSON COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING RAILWAY-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 697,534, dated April 15, 1902.

Application filed April 27,1901. Serial No. 57,696- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. PIMLOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Means for Electrically Connecting Railway-Rails, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates toineans for electrically connecting railway-rails.

The object of the invention is to provide means for efficiently connecting the abutting or adjacent ends of railway-rails electrically.

The invention consists, substantially, in the construction, combination, location, and arrangement, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and to the various views and reference-signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a railway-track rail, showing the application of myinventionthereto, the plane of section being indicated by the line 1 1, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a track-rail joint, the track-rails being broken ofi, showing the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 before the angle-bars are clamped up. Fig. 4 is a broken detail view in perspective of the under surface of an angle-bar constructed in accordance with Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views showing a modified arrangement.

The same part is designated by the same reference-sign wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

In the operation of electric street-car lines or elevated roads it is the common practice to connect the track-rails electrically, so as to provide a return-circuit for the operatingcurrent, and Various forms and styles of railbonds have been employed for the purpose of effecting the electrical connection between adjacent ends of track-rails. The use of cop- 'per or conducting bonds for this purpose is not entirely free from objection, for the reason that the expansion and contraction of the rails, due to variation in the temperature and the vibrations imposed at the rail-joint by the pounding .of the truck of the carwheels, rapidly wear out the bonds or impair the efficiency of their electrical contact, thereby materially afiecting the efficiency. of the electrical connection between adjacent trackrails. rail-bonds of the ordinary type and construction introduces a variation in the resistance of the rails as a return-conductor, which is undesirable. In other words, to secure the most efficient results it is desirable that the resistance offered by the track-rails as a return-conductor be uniform per lineal foot throughout the entire length of each rail. Again, objection is frequently encountered with rail-bonds of the ordinary construction by reason of moisture or water gaining access to the contacting surfaces of the railbond, thereby impairing the efficiency of the electrical contact.

It is among the purposes and objects of my invention to provide an electrical connection between the adjacent ends of track rails wherein the objections above noted are obviated, wherein the resistance per lineal foot of track or rail is uniform, and wherein an efficient electrical contact is secured.

In carrying out my invention I propose to interpose a strip of conducting material between the angle-bars usually employed and the rails, whereby by clamping up the anglebars the desired electrical contact and connection is effected.

' Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates the track-rails, B the an gle-bars, and D the bolt passing through the angle-bars and the Web of the rails and by which the an-. gle-bars are clamped to the rail ends by means of the nut C in the usual manner. The angle-bars may be of the usual construction and in practice are provided with the beveled upper edges F, arranged to cooperate with the correspondingly-beveled under surface Gr of the tread of the rail, and the angle-bars are also provided with the angle portions E, ar-

Moreover, the use of copper or other ranged to rest upon flanges H of the rail, so that when the clamp-nut C is turned up to draw the an gle bars or plates 13 together and against the sides of the rails the beveled surfaces F G serve to force the angle portions E of the angle-bars firmly down upon the flanges II of the rail. Now byinterposing a strip or plate of conducting material between the angle portions E of the angle-bars and the upper surface of the flanges H of the rail it will be readily seen that the turning up on the clampingu lit 0, and the consequent clamping of the angle-bars firmly in place, effects a clamping action upon the strip or plate of conducting material between the adjacent or opposed surfaces of the angle portions E of the angle-bars and the flanges of the rails, thereby securing a most efficient electrical contact therebetween, and since the angle-bars are employedtojoin the adjacent orabutting ends of the rails and by extending the strip or plate of conducting material throughout practically the entire length of the angle-bars it will be seen that an elficient electrical connection between the rails is effected.

In practice I prefer to employ a groove or recess in the adjacent or opposed surfaces of the angle portion E or the flange H of the rail, or both of these surfaces, and I place the strip or plate J of copper or other suitable conducting material in such seat or recess. For instance, in the form best shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a longitudinal groove or channel K is formed in the under surface of the angle portion E of the angle-bars, andin which recess or channel is placed the strip or plate J of copper or other conducting material. I prefer to employ a strip or plate J somewhat thicker than the depth of the slot or recess K and of a transverse width somewhat less than the transverse width of said slot or recess, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3, so that when the nuts 0 are turned up tightly to clamp the angle-bars to the rail the material of the conducting strip or plate will be flattened by the pressure exerted thereon, so as to entirely fill the slots or recesses, as indicated in Fig. 1, wherein the parts are shown in clamped-up relation, thus insuring an eificientcontaet between the parts. The longitudinal seats, recesses,or slots K maybe of any suitable or con venient shape in cross-sectional area-for instance, in Figs. 1 and 3 I have shown straight rectangular slots or recesses. In Fig. 4 I have shown longitudinal recesses K, having an additional depression or seat K into which the metal or conducting strip may be forced by the pressure exerted in clamping the parts together, thereby forming a lock for the conducting-strip to prevent lateral movement thereof. The same result may be secured by scoring or grooving the base of the recess, as indicated at K K, Figs. 5 and 6, the score of which may extend eitherlongitudinally of the slot or recess, as shown in Fig. 5, or transversely thereof, as shown in Fig. 0, the metal of the conducting strip or plate being forced by the pressure exerted on clamping the parts together into the scores, thereby not only insuring efficient electrical contact, but also serving to lock the conducting-strip against displacement.

It is obvious that the slots may be formed of any shape or configuration without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention. The slots or recesses may be formed by properly rolling the angle-bars or by milling or grooving the same in a shaping-machine or in any other convenient manner. If desired and in order to more perfectly protect the electrical contact of the conductor against access of moisture, a filling of cement or other suitable moisture proof material may be placed between the angle-bars and the base of the web of the rails, as shown at M, Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple and efficient rail-joint connection, which may be applied to any rail-joint by merely employing the proper construction of angle-bars, and it will also be seen that my invention may be applied without the necessity of additional holes through the web of the rail ordinarily required for rail-bonds of the usual construction and which are objectionable not only on account of the expense involved in drilling the holes, but also by reason of the fact that additional holes through the web of the rails weaken the same. The seats or grooves K in the under surface of the angle-bars may be formed in angle-bars of the ordinary construction without difficulty, thus materially reducing the cost of applying my invention to track-rails already laid and enabling roads already equipped with other styles of railbonds to be converted or to adopt a rail-joint connection in accordance with the principles of my invention.

While I have described my invention as being applied to the adjacent ends of track-rails to electrically connect the same, it is obvious that the same construction and arrangement may be employed for connecting other parts or rails-such, for instance, as the third rail of electric elevated roadsor other parts of framing where electrical connection is desired.

It is obvious that many variations and changes in the details of construction and arrangement would readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted to the exact details shown and described; but,

Having now set forth the object and nature of myinvention and various constructions embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the adjacent ends of track or other rails, of an angle-bar for securing said rail ends together, said angle-bar provided with a seat or recess in the surface thereof which contacts with the cooperating surface of the rail, said seat or recess being scored or grooved and adapted to receive a conducting-strip, and means for clamping said angle-bar to said rail, as and for the purpose set forth.

2; The combination with the adjacent ends of track or other rails, an angle-bar for securing said rail ends together, the contacting surface of one or the other of said angle-bar or rail being provided with a groove or recess adapted to receive a strip of conducting material, said groove or recess being grooved or corrugated longitudinally thereof, and means for clamping said angle-bar to said rail ends, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination With the adjacent ends of track or other rails, an angle-bar for securing said rail ends together, a-conducting-strip interposed between the contacting surfaces of said angle-bar and rail, and means for protecting the contact of said conducting material from moisture, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with adjacent ends of track or other rails, an angle-bar having an WILLIAM E. PIMLOTT.

Witnesses:

E. O. SEMPLE, S. E. DARBY. 

